The Distance
by Linwe Elendil
Summary: Takes place during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Ginny's sixth year at Hogwarts is not at all how she'd hoped it would be.  Songfic set to The Distance.  Contains spoilers.


**This story contains many spoilers for **_**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows**_**. Please be careful in reading this if you have not read the book. **

Disclaimer: I understand the need to write these, but they do get rather redundant. I do not own the rights to any of the characters/places mentioned in the Harry Potter series, and I am not making any money off the stories I write. Please don't sue me. I'm a University student who could barely afford to buy the last book. You would be lucky to get a dime out of me…

Look out world! My songfic muse is back again, and I can't seem to fight it. The story will still read well if you skip the lyrics (for those of you who don't like songfics). The song used here is "The Distance" by Evan and Jaron.

* * *

**The sky has lost its color.  
The sun has turned to grey.  
At least that's how it feels to me,  
Whenever you're away.**

As the wedding reception erupted into chaos, Ginny felt herself being pushed and pulled in three different directions. She heard the hem of her golden bridesmaid dress tear as her heel caught the fabric, and she nearly fell to the ground. Her father's hand wrapped itself securely around her upper arm and she barely had time to catch her balance before he Apparated.

She tried to land on her feet on the soft ground, but her heel was still caught, and she was on her knees in the dirt before she recognized Aunt Muriel's house. Swearing softly, she pulled off the offending shoes – ripping a larger hole in the fabric of her dress. Though she would never admit it, she felt some satisfaction at seeing the dress ruined. She'd hated being forced to wear it.

"Ginny!" came a cry from behind her. "What happened?! Are you alright?" Her mother pulled her to her feet in a second, checking her face, neck, and arms for injuries. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine, Mum. My shoes got caught on my dress, that's all." She showed her mother the hole in the fabric.

"What a shame," Molly replied, but Ginny thought she saw a slight smile flash across her mother's face. She hadn't liked Fleur's choice very much either.

Faint pops signaled the arrival of the rest of her family, and Ginny looked around to take stock of who was there. Bill had an arm around his wife, who looked ready to kill any Death Eater unlucky enough to cross her path. She murmured something about her ruined wedding, but Bill merely pushed some stray hair back from her face as he tried to calm her. Fred and George looked as though they had been pushed into the wedding cake, and were sampling the frosting on their suits. Charlie began casting protective enchantments around the property. Ron –

Ginny blinked and looked around in shock. Her brother was nowhere to be found. Neither, for that matter, were Harry and Hermione.

"Charlie, stop!" she cried. "The others, they haven't –"

Arthur placed a gentle hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I'm sure they're fine – wherever they are. I don't think they meant to come with us…"

"But…"

"There was something they had to do."

"I know," Ginny replied as her hands clenched into fists. She tried to force down her frustration, but failed miserably. "What about their supplies – their clothes?"

"Hermione asked me how to cast an enlargement charm last week. I'm pretty sure she's had everything packed in her beaded handbag since then." Ginny bit her tongue to stop any further objections from surfacing. She stormed into Aunt Muriel's house, cold fury etched on her face.

_But he didn't even say goodbye!_

**I crawl up in the corner  
As I watch the minutes pass.  
Each one brings me closer to  
The time when you'll be back.  
You're coming back. **

They were able to go back to the Burrow a few hours later, but Ginny didn't talk much over the next few days. Both of her parents had tried to explain why Harry, Ron, and Hermione needed to leave – and she had nodded mutely in response. They didn't know any more about the trio's mission than she did. As she lay awake at night she would remember the day of Dumbledore's funeral; when Harry had broken up with her. He hadn't done it to be noble, she knew. He was trying to protect her. But her words rang back clearly in her mind – "What if I don't care?"

Tears leaked from under her closed lids as she clung tightly to her pillow. She knew it was wrong of her to feel this way – that she was being selfish in wishing that Harry would drop everything and come back to her. But it was all she wanted.

**I can't take the distance,  
I can't take the miles,  
I can't take the time  
Until the next time I see you smile.  
I can't take the distance,  
And I'm not ashamed  
That I can't take a breath without saying your name.  
But I can't take the distance.**

The day her Hogwarts letter came, she stared at it in shock, unwilling to open it. _How can they possibly expect us to go back to school? To act like nothing has happened?_ Only on the morning of their planned trip into Diagon Alley did Ginny rip open the envelope. She barely glanced at her O.W.L. results (her "O" in Defense Against the Dark Arts did not come as a surprise) before perusing the list of required materials. A book title caught her eye; _"Dark Magic": Myth and Misdirection_. Her father glanced at the list over her shoulder.

"I was afraid of that," he grumbled. "There've been rumors that Snape appointed Alecto and Amycus Carrow as teachers. One of them clearly has the Defense Against the Dark Arts position." Ginny look up at him.

"Snape? What about McGonagall?"

"Where've you been, sis?" Fred joked, "Didn't you know Snape was made Headmaster?"

"I've been busy," she murmured.

"Sulking is more like," George replied. At the murderous look on his sister's face, however, he let the matter drop.

**I can brave a hurricane,  
And still be standing tall  
when all the dust has settled down.  
But I can't take the distance. **

"I just want to do something," she heard Neville whisper to Seamus. "I feel… helpless just sitting here." Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Seamus nod.

"But what can we do? We can't go against Snape. Did you know he's actually considering the Carrow's request of using Unforgivable Curses on students that break the rules?"

Neville nodded in disgust. "I think that's why they're making up so many new rules. They'd love the chance to catch all of us in something."

Ginny edged her way over to the pair. She moved in front of the fire, and looked carefully around the sparsely populated common room. Neville and Seamus looked up at her curiously. "There is something we can do," she whispered. Both boys leaned forward on the couch. She licked her dry lips and continued. "Do you remember the sword of Gryffindor?"

**I still believe in feelings,  
But sometimes I feel too much.  
I make believe you're close to me,  
But it ain't close enough,  
Not nearly close enough. **

Ginny heard someone screaming. The sound of it echoed through her skull, and was so loud and carried for so long, that she wanted to find the stupid girl and put her out of her misery. She felt the pain of the cry in her bones, and it burned like fire.

"Hold," said a smooth voice to her left, and the screams abruptly stopped. Ginny lay shaking on the floor, her throat raw. Snape leaned over her, and she looked up at the Headmaster with what she hoped was a defiant expression. He turned to Amycus Carrow. "Explain."

"Ms. Weasley has failed to turn in her essay as to the origin, nature, and effective uses of the Cruciatus Curse. I felt a practical demonstration would help the facts to… sink in."

Snape turned back to her. "And have they?"

Her lips trembled, but she spoke through her pain. "The Cruciatus Curse was first named Unforgivable in 1879. Since that time, use of this spell earns the caster a lifetime sentence to Azkaban."

Snape leaned back, his lips falling into a frown. "You do understand that the Carrows are in charge of punishing unruly students." Ginny nodded her answer. "Then you leave me no choice." He walked to the Carrow siblings. "No permanent damage." Amycus nodded, then turned and whispered something briefly in Crabbe's ear – tutoring him, no doubt, on how to inflict even more pain. The Slytherin boy smiled as he raised his wand again.

"_Crucio!"_

**I can't take the distance,  
I can't the miles,  
I can't take the time  
until the next time I see you smile.  
I can't take the distance,  
And I'm not ashamed  
That I can't take a breath  
Without saying your name. **

"Harry…"

"Shh," said a soothing voice. "It's alright." Gentle hands helped raise her head, and Ginny drank the proffered potion without protest. A soft warmth spread through her veins and eased throbbing muscles. The pain in her head began to subside as she laid back down.

"I can't believe it…" another voice murmured. Ginny was starting to fade in and out of consciousness, but strained to make out Professor McGonagall's words. "Using Unforgivable Curses on a student. Did you know Amycus Carrow actually said Ginny would serve as a good example for those who still resist? And Snape lets them continue this barbarism. Bastards." Ginny heard rather than saw Madam Pomfrey place a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"The Easter holidays start day after tomorrow. I've already informed the Headmaster –" she spoke word with contempt, "that Ms. Weasley will need to stay in the Hospital Wing until then."

"Thank you, Poppy."

Ginny heard more shuffling as the two women walked away. With a sigh, she gave up and let the darkness take her.

**I can brave a hurricane,  
And still be standing tall  
when all the dust has settled down.**

She could not look away. Fred's body lay before her, obscured from view by her mother's sobbing form. Ginny felt tears falling down her face, and barely noticed as Hermione hugged her. When she could stand the sight no more, she ran from the Great Hall. No one followed her.

A crash brought her focus back, and Ginny saw she had run into Neville. He was carrying someone into the school. Ginny refused to look at the face – even to see if they were dead or alive.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"S'okay," Neville nodded.

Walking around him, Ginny surveyed the damage around her. She wanted to keep walking; away from the school, from her brother's body, from the fight that she no longer cared about. Shame burned through her heart as she realized that all this time she had expected her family would be safe. It was Harry she had been most concerned for. But now that Fred was gone, she understood just how much she could still lose.

A faint whimpering caused to her look down. A young girl lay in the dirt, crying for her mother. Ginny could see no injuries, but crouched down beside the girl. "It's all right. It's okay. We're going to get you inside."

"But I want to go _home_," whispered the girl. "I don't want to fight anymore!"

Ginny's heart and voice broke as she replied. "I know. It's going to be all right." She longed to believe her own words, but could find no hope in their situation. The Dark Lord was still alive – how much time could they have left? She knelt beside the sobbing girl and gently took her hand.

A stirring of the breeze caught her attention as something seemed to brushed past her. She looked around. Satisfied that she was alone, she lifted the girl in her arms and began walking back to the school, murmuring encouraging lies. Even if she had no hope left, she was determined that this child would not lose hers.

**I can't take the distance,  
I can't take the miles,  
I can't take the time,  
until the next time I see you smile.  
I can't take the distance,  
And I'm not ashamed  
That I can't take a breath**

**Without saying your name. **

Doing her best to ignore the pungent smell of the owlry, Ginny looked up at the full moon. A lump swelled in her throat, and she pushed down thoughts of Lupin and Tonks as she focused instead on the stars. She couldn't bring herself to look down at the castle or the grounds – the stone mingled with blood that littered Hogwarts. It was this sight – visible from every window in the castle – that had driven her here.

She rested her forehead on the stone wall and shut her eyes tightly. One mere day had passed since the final defeat of Voldemort, but she felt years older. The cost of victory had been severe. It was almost more than she could stand. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Fred, a smile on his face, even in death – Lupin and Tonks' peaceful expressions – a sobbing Hagrid carrying their best hope in his arms…

Hot tears slipped down her cheek, and she made no move to stop them – her lungs ached from the sobs she held in. A roaring in her ears masked the sound of approaching footsteps, but the gentle hand on her shoulder did not surprise her. Nor did she need to turn and look into those emerald eyes to feel the concern there. Her hands groped suddenly for purchase on the wall before her as her knees started to give way, but Harry's arms grabbed her around the waist just before she fell. Scooping her into his arms, he sat on the nearest bench and cradled her there, rocking gently back and forth.

Unable to contain it any longer, Ginny began to sob. She grasped the front of his robes, and turned her face into his chest, screaming. Harry pulled her closer as the grief poured from her eyes; like blood from a wound. It was a poison burning through her veins, but every moment he held her she felt it fade, until only numbing exhaustion remained. She succumbed to the forgetfulness of sleep, and did not notice when Harry stood and carried her to the Gryffindor common room.

**And I can't take the distance.  
The distance…**

When Ginny awoke the next morning, she found herself still cradled in Harry's arms. The fire was burning down; it's light replaced by the bright morning sun, and Ginny smiled. Perhaps everything would be fine after all.

* * *

Wow! That took a lot out of me!

Thanks for taking the time to read. :-)


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